Big Bus Tours is the world’s largest operator of open-top sightseeing tours, fueling the spirit of adventure in 23 world-famous cities across four continents. Beginning its journey 28 years’ ago, with a fleet of only three buses, Big Bus Tours has swiftly expanded to a global fleet of over 400 hundred open-top buses, turning 5 million tourists into explorers, every year. Big Bus Tours operates in London, Dubai, Hong Kong, New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, Abu Dhabi, Budapest, Istanbul, Miami, Muscat, Rome, Paris, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Darwin, Sydney, Vienna, Washington DC, Dublin, Singapore, Los Angeles and Berlin with a sightseeing concept designed to provide a flexible approach to city discovery. Each open-top bus tour provides a hop-on, hop-off facility at a variety of interesting locations, with complimentary additions to enhance the visitor sightseeing experience. In February 2015, private equity firm Exponent purchased Big Bus Tours, with a shared vision to make Big Bus Tours the number 1 thing to do in each world-famous city. In 2016, Merlin Entertainments PLC became a shareholder, offering a natural synergy with Big Bus Tours and Merlin attractions and experiences around the world. With entertaining guides and commentary and knowledge of the latest events in each city, the Big Bus City Crew leaves every passenger with a story to tell.

Overall Purpose

• To maximise the profit and volume of the agent sales channel (hotels, concierges, kiosks, and shops) through effective account management, relationship-building, and development of new business, both within your own portfolio of agent accounts and for the Agent Sales team as a whole.
• To achieve and exceed the budgeted targets on revenue, net profitability, passenger volume, and customer satisfaction.
• Where relevant, the role will work in conjunction with the central agent sales team on the sharing of best practice and the implementation of new initiatives to improve the performance of the channel.

Key Areas of Accountability and Responsibility

Account Management

• Manage a portfolio of Agent Sales accounts in an effective, efficient and professional manner. Build, nurture and protect relationships with account-holders and their staff/associates.
• Deliver and exceed the revenue, net profitability, and passenger budget for your portfolio of accounts.
• Analyse daily and weekly sales performance vs. budget and put corrective actions and plans in place as needed.
• Proactively identify and implement initiatives to exceed targets.
• Distribute prepaid voucher stock as necessary to agents, maintaining careful record of each delivery.
• Calculate amounts owed by individual agents, arising from prepaid and online vouchers sold.
• Collect revenue from all agents on a monthly basis (or more frequently, as may be required).
• Deliver Partner Booking Platform (PBP) revenue and ensure agent migration as per targets required.
• Monitor brand representation by ensuring the most up-to-date marketing material is being used in all establishments selling the Big Bus product and that said material on public display is in good condition.
• Seek and evaluate new opportunities to advertise and promote Big Bus within agent establishments / on agent premises.
• Using budgeted expenditure to best effect for the purposes of agent incentives, uniform, corporate gifts, entertainment etc.
• Ensure all partners’ contracts are revised and up-to-date.
• Ensure all agents follow company sales policy.

Business Development

• Ensure the highest level of profitable sales growth through the development of new business at reasonable and appropriate commission rates.
• Increase sales and the Company’s profile through the constant development of new sales strategies.

Reporting

• Present commentary on and analysis of the performance of agents within individual portfolio each week at a scheduled one-to-one meeting with the Agent Sales Manager and in a weekly team meeting (and/or at other scheduled meetings as deemed appropriate/necessary).
• Generate reports reflecting ongoing portfolio sales performance and year-on-year sales performance.
• Create bespoke reports and analysis to assist in ongoing sales strategy and sales focus development.
• Reporting on competitor activity and proactive recommendations on changes as needed to compete.

Administration and Risk Control

• Ensure all agents payments are kept up-to-date and no build-up of debt.
• Adhere to strict audit control policies on the handling of cash, issuing of books, payment collection to ensure the business is not at risk.
• Work closely and positively with the Finance team on the management and timely collection of any agent debt.
• Ensure the agent database is kept updated and accurate.

Partner Booking Platform (PBP)

• Actively encourage the migration of agent customers on to the PBP platform wherever possible.
• To provide input to the ongoing development and improvement to the PBP platform.

Customer Satisfaction

• Improve our B2B customer service satisfaction levels, for our agent customers.

Brand Management

• Be a brand ambassador for Big Bus Tours in the B2B environment.
• Be responsible for consistent delivery of the brand to external partners.

Additional Functions

• Represent Big Bus Tours at the Golden Keys and other London tourist industry associations and assist at other industry exhibitions when required.
• Liaise with the Operations department on matters involving Agent Sales and agents, along with any other circumstances/factors that may have an effect on the product as sold by the agents.
• Collect marketing material from and deliver marketing material to other company/agent premises when required.
• Provide support and training to new team members.
• Provide advice and assistance to clients and colleagues as required.
• Any other tasks as may be reasonably requested.

Knowledge

• A good understanding of sales as a function is important.
• An understanding of the travel industry is required.
• Knowledge of the London market is required.
• Excellent commercial thinking.

Skills

• The ability to work under pressure and to strict deadlines.
• Strong potential on negotiation, presentation and account management skills.
• Creativity and imagination.
• Excellent communication and team working skills.
• Analysis. Ability to work with data to find insights/trends.
• Strong organisational, task management and time management skills.
• Competent arithmetic and calculation skills.
• Fluent in English.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook).

Experience/Qualifications

• University degree preferred but not required.
• Previous sales experience required.
• At least of 5 years of previous travel industry experience is required.

Competencies

• Professional appearance.
• Strong interpersonal and social skills.
• Ability to develop and maintain strong professional relationships.
• Adaptability and sense of humour.
• Communication – Ability to express ideas or facts in a clear and persuasive manner. Convince others to own expressed viewpoint.
• Customer Focus – Exceeding customer expectations by displaying a total commitment to identifying and providing solutions of the highest possible standards aimed at addressing customer needs.
• Analytical – Effectiveness in identifying problems, seeking pertinent data, recognising important information and identifying possible causes of problems.
• Planning and Budgeting – Ability to establish efficiently an appropriate course of action for self/others to accomplish a goal.

Working Hours and Conditions

Monday – Friday 9am to 5.30pm; however due to the nature of the role there is a requirement to be available outside these hours depending on business requirements. Attendance and involvement with evening and some weekend industry functions is required. Mobility and the need to work flexible hours is an integral part of the role.

Physical Requirements

The role requires a lot of travel to different agency sites, including frequent walking and use of public transport.